Few things in life induce immediate stress, like your phone running out of battery and not having a place to charge it.  Often it happens when you need it most because you’ve been heavily using it for whatever situation you are in.  Most of us follow the routine of charging our phones overnight and then the battery slowly loses its charge throughout the following day, requiring it to be recharged once again that evening.  People are not dissimilar in our need for rest and sleep each evening to recharge us for the next day.  There are things though that cause our battery to drain faster than normal or in some cases actually recharge during the day.

Two weeks ago, we had our monthly MIBE leadership meeting at Footers.  As we began our centering exercise, we go around the room prompted by 2-3 finish the sentence prompts, it was clear that the team had pretty low energy.  Tired, exhausted, and sleep deprived all were answers shared and reflective of September being one of our busiest months of the year.  Admittedly, I was a bit nervous hearing the responses, even though they weren’t unexpected.  I had sensed this was the case and planned the meeting accordingly.  Thankfully, by the end of the meeting when we went back around and had everyone share their top takeaway, the mood had changed considerably.  There were more smiles and laughter, energy was high, and multiple people commented that this meeting was exactly what they needed. 

So, what happened during the meeting?  The actual exercises that we did are not nearly as important as how we got there and the reasoning behind them.  I would like to share that this week in hopes it inspires you to come up with the best ways to recharge yourself and your team - especially during busy and difficult times.

1) Have your pulse on what the team needs.  When you take time to ask team members how they are doing and what they need, you can learn a lot.  Great leaders can also discern the difference between those who are nearing burnout and those who are operating just below their potential.  Sometimes that push to get over the line is the charge that is needed, sometimes it is a helping hand that boosts the reserves.  

2) Have gratitude for the work your team is doing.  Appreciation is free to give out, which provides a great return on the investment!  The key is recognizing the specific contributions of team members in ways they want to be recognized.  Some people love to be praised in front of their peers, others prefer one on one interactions.  Done the right way sparks positivity and an increased charge.

3) Have some fun!  Too many times fun is associated with distractions or slacking off.  But in reality, fun in the workplace has been proven to make people more productive - largely because it keeps our proverbial batteries charged.  Engaging the team in creative activities where there are no wrong answers, strengthens connections among the group and boosts morale. There are many ways to simply infuse fun into day-to-day activities.

The assumption is that as you go through your day, your battery drains.  But what if instead we find ways to help our people recharge their battery throughout the day?  When you focus on creating a great place to work, this happens regularly. Yes, there are tough days that can be draining, but when they are mixed with fun, recognition, connection to one another, and understanding why our work matters, that drain is mitigated, and we have the opportunity to leave work feeling charged up!

MIBE Awards are open!  In addition to Heart Leaders of the Year, Best Employee Recognition Program, and Best Activation of Mission or Core Values - we also have Best Internal Company Event.  We want to hear about the awesome events you are putting on for your team, so make sure to gather those photos and submit, you might just be up on stage receiving an award at our annual MIBE Summit in January!